There are hundreds of scout camps around the world. Some of these are historically notable Scout camps. Each Scouting association runs its own camp. For example, in the United States, a number of national camps are run by the Boy Scouts of America, and the local councils run the greatest number of camps. The two most important factors in establishing notability are the age of the camp, and its impact on the local community or country where it is located.

Oldest Boy Scout Camps of the BSA

In the United States, summer camps were an important part of 20th century culture. Many camps are notable for their impact, few are more than 80 years old. The oldest scout camp may be Owasippe Scout Reservation in Michigan. Part of camp culture are the societies of "honor campers." (i.e. "Tribe of Owasippe," Camp Teetonkah's "Tribe of Keokuk," Camp Delmont's "Order of the Tipi," "Old Guard of Glen Gray," "Knights of Yawgoog Honor Society," "Stambaugh Tribe of Good Indians," Camp Indian Mound's "Tribe of Ku-ni-eh," Camp Miakonda's "Tribe of Gimogash," Camp Belzer's "Firecrafters," Scouthaven's "Tribe of Wokanda," Camp Friedlander's "Tribe of Ku-ni-eh," and the "Order of the Silver Marmot" at Camp Parsons). Treasure Island was the birthplace of the Order of the Arrow in 1915.

Camp Belzer

Originally named Camp Chank-Tun-Un-Gi, Camp Belzer was founded in 1918 by the Central Indiana Boy Scout Council. Located near

Indianapolis Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion ...

, Indiana. It was named after local philanthropist and the creator of the

Firecrafter Firecrafter is a service organization within the Boy Scouts of America. Formed in 1920, the Firecrafter Organization mainly operates within the Crossroads of America Council, Indiana, but has been known to exist in other areas including Illinois ...

organization, Francis O. Belzer ("The Chief").

Camp Conewago

Located near

New Oxford, Pennsylvania New Oxford is a borough in Adams County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 1,868 at the 2020 census. Geography New Oxford is located at (39.863208, -77.056475). According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a t ...

, Camp Conewago was purchased in 1919 by the officers of Conewago Council. Purchased by a local trust and independent of the BSA, the camp has an endowment to provide funds for materials for maintenance. The

New Birth of Freedom Council The New Birth of Freedom Council is a council of the Boy Scouts of America serving South-Central Pennsylvania. The council was formed by a merger of York-Adams Area Council and Keystone Area Council on April 1, 2010. Districts The Council is div ...

operates the camp. Summer Camp was last held there in 1948.

Camp Delmont

Located along the

Unami Creek Unami Creek is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed April 1, 2011 tributary of Perkiomen Creek in Lehigh, Bucks, and Montgomery counties, Pennsylvania in the United States. ...

in Marlborough Township, Pennsylvania, Camp Delmont was created in 1916, the camp, and the adjoining Hart Scout Reservation, became part of the Musser Scout Reservation after the council merger with the

Philadelphia Council Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since 1 ...

. The camp name is a portmanteau of the two counties (Delaware and Montgomery) covered by the original owner, the Valley Forge Council.

Camp Friedlander

Establisher in 1919, Camp Friedlander, is located in

Loveland, Ohio Loveland is a city in Hamilton, Clermont, and Warren counties in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Ohio. Considered part of the Greater Cincinnati area, Loveland is located near exit 52 off Interstate 275, about northeast of the Cinc ...

and run originally by the Cincinnati Area Council and,after mergers, currently by the Dan Beard Council. The camp is and was donated to the Scouts by Edgar Friedlander. It is now part of the larger Dan Beard Scout Reservation.

Camp Glen Gray

Camp Glen Gray was located near Mahwah, New Jersey in the Ramapo Mountains in

Bergen County, New Jersey Bergen County is the most populous county in the U.S. state of New Jersey.Frank Gray for the Montclair Council, the camp is named after Frank Gray, a well known early professional Scouter of that area. The camp is now a Bergen County Park and is independently managed and financially supported by The Friends of Glen Gray, Inc.

Indian Mound Scout Reservation

Founded in 1917 by the

Milwaukee County Council Three Harbors Council is a local council of the Boy Scouts of America serving three southeastern Wisconsin counties: Milwaukee County, Racine County, and Kenosha County. Its name and logo refer to the three major port cities of Milwaukee, Racine ...

, Indian Mound Scout Reservation, near Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, gets its name from the 1,000-year-old Indian mound in the middle of the camp. The mound is shaped somewhat like a lizard or turtle. The Scout reservation has two camps on it.

Camp Miakonda

* Camp Miakonda was founded in 1917 and is located in

Sylvania, Ohio Sylvania is a city in Lucas County, Ohio, United States. The population was 19,011 at the 2020 census. Sylvania is a suburb of Toledo, and encompassed by Sylvania Township. Its northern border is the southern border of the state of Michigan. T ...

by the Toledo Council. Originally a weekend camp, it became a summer camp in 1924.

Owasippe Scout Reservation

In 1911, the Chicago Area Council founded Camp Owasippe near

Whitehall, Michigan Whitehall is a city in Muskegon County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 2,706 at the 2010 census. The city is located in the southwest corner of Whitehall Township. Montague is its neighbor. It is located on White Lake (act ...

. Starting with , the camp eventually grew to in size. The reservation lies within the boundaries of Manistee National Forest. The Northwest border of the camp is formed in part by the White River.

Camp Parsons

Camp Parsons, located on the Hood Canal near Brinnon, Washington, was founded in 1919 by the

Chief Seattle Council Chief Seattle Council (originally called Seattle Area Council) is the local council governing the scouting activities of the Boy Scouts of America in a large part of the Puget Sound and Seattle area, including almost all of the Olympic Peninsula. ...

. The property is a former logging camp and is the oldest continuous BSA camp in the Western United States. The camp was named after the council's first president,

Reginald Parsons Reginald Hascall Parsons (October 3, 1873 - June 9, 1955) was a Seattle businessman and philanthropist during the first half of the twentieth century. He was born on Long Island, New York and came west to Seattle with his family in 1904 to manage ...

, who purchased and donated it to the Scouts.

Scouthaven

Located near

Arcade, New York Arcade is a town in Wyoming County, New York, United States. The population was 4220 at the 2020 census. The Town of Arcade has within its borders a village also called Arcade. Arcade is in the southwestern corner of Wyoming County. History ...

, Scouthaven was founded 1918 by the Buffalo Council. At first, the camp was named Camp Crystal, after Crystal Lake. It was renamed to Scouthaven in 1923. Early in its history, Scouts arrived on a "milk train" that passed by the camp. The site was an amusement park in the first part of the 20th century.

Camp Stambaugh

In 1919, Henry H. Stambaugh, upon his death, donated his farm in Canfield, Ohio, known as Indian Creek Farm, to the Youngstown Council. The first summer camp opened on July 4, 1919, and the camp has been in continuous operation since then. With the merger of the Mahoning Valley Council, Western Reserve Council and the Northeast Ohio Councils summer camp programs at Camp Stambaugh were moved to Camp Stigwandish.

Camp Teetonkah

In 1916, the Jackson Council established Camp Teetonkah near

Jackson, Michigan Jackson is the only city and county seat of Jackson County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 33,534, down from 36,316 at the 2000 census. Located along Interstate 94 and U.S. Route 127, it is approxi ...

. Teetonkah served as a summer camp until the mid-90s. After nine councils in the lower peninsula of michigan merged in the early 2010s, Teetonkah was evaluated and determined to take the place of Camp Rota-Kiwan and Camp Munhacke, both of which were closed in 2019. The Michigan Crossroads Council now uses Camp Teetonkah as a Cub Scout Camp, a weekend BSA camp, and the Southern District Michigami Lodge OA camp.

Treasure Island Scout Camp

*Treasure Island Scout Camp was founded in 1913 by the

, located between

Point Pleasant, Pennsylvania Point Pleasant is an unincorporated community in Tinicum and Plumstead Townships of Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States. It lies on both sides of Tohickon Creek by the creek's confluence with the Delaware River; the creek is the dividing ...

and

Frenchtown, New Jersey Frenchtown is a borough in Hunterdon County, New Jersey, United States. Frenchtown is located along the banks of the Delaware River on the Hunterdon Plateau thirty two miles northwest of the state capital Trenton. As of the 2010 United States Ce ...

. The camp closed in 2006, but has reopened under private ownership. It was announced on March 2, 2018 that Treasure Island was sold to Haubert Outdoor Oriented Adventure Hospitality, LLC, a family-owned business that intends to re-open the historic property as a commercial family campground. Haubert, with a partnership with the Friends of Treasure Island, have made Treasure Island available to Scouts free of charge.

Camp Wakenah

Camp Wakenah was founded on Gardner Lake near Salem, Connecticut by the Pequot Council. The camp was sold in the 1930s to buy the second Camp Wakenah at a dif.ferent location on Gardner Lake which consisted of . The camp was last used as a summer camp in 1972, and was sold by the

Connecticut Rivers Council The headquarters of the Connecticut Rivers Council of the Boy Scouts of America is located in East Hartford, Connecticut. The present council was formed as the result of the merger between the Indian Trails Council of Norwich, Connecticut and Lon ...

in 2004.

Yawgoog Scout Reservation

* Yawgoog Scout Reservation was established in 1916 with land purchased by the Rhode Island Boy Scouts. Named after a Narragansett Indian Chief, it is located near Rockville, Rhode Island.

High Adventure Programs of the BSA

* Philmont Scout Ranch is located in Cimarron, New Mexico. It has thirty-four staffed camps and fifty-five trail camps. Its programs include horseback riding, burro packing and racing, gold panning, chuck wagon dinners, interpretive history, rock climbing, mountain biking, and rifle shooting * Florida National High Adventure Sea Base is located in Islamorada, Florida on the end of Lower Matecumbe Key. It focuses on Venturing and Scout High Adventure. Its programs include scuba certification, tall ship sailing, fishing, snorkeling, swimming, kayaking, and ecology activities. * Northern Tier National High Adventure Bases is located in Ely, Minnesota. It focuses on Venturing and Scout High Adventure. Its programs include canoe trips in Minnesota, Quetico Provincial Park and the Canadian Crownlands, as well as winter skiing, snowshoe expeditions, and dog sledding. * The Summit Bechtel Family National Scout Reserve is located near the New River Gorge National River in southern West Virginia.

Notable camps of the GSUSA

Camp Bonnie Brae

Established in the

Berkshire Mountains The Berkshires () are a highland geologic region located in the western parts of Massachusetts and northwest Connecticut. The term "Berkshires" is normally used by locals in reference to the portion of the Vermont-based Green Mountains that ex ...

in 1919 by the Springfield Girl Scout Council, the Camp Bonnie Brae is today, the oldest continuously operated camp of the GSUSA. It is located on the northeast shore of Big Pond in

East Otis, Massachusetts East Otis is part of the town of Otis in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2000 census, East Otis had a total population of 572. Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, East Otis has a total area of 14 ...

.. It is currently operated by the Girl Scouts of Central and Western Massachusetts.

Scout camps of Canada

Camp Tamaracouta

Founded in 1912 by the Quebec Council, the Camp Tamaracouta is Canada's oldest Scout camp. It is located near

Mille-Isles Mille-Isles is a municipality in the Laurentides region of Quebec, Canada, part of the Argenteuil Regional County Municipality, west of Saint-Jérôme. Mille-Isles is in the Laurentian Hills, crossed by rivers and dotted with fish-filled lakes. ...

in the Laurentian Mountains, northwest of Montreal. Founded in 1933, the Knights of Tamara Society is the camp's honor society.

Scout camps of Mexico

Meztitla Scout Camp School

Founded in 1956, the Meztitla Scout Camp School is the national Scout camp and school owned by the Asociación de Scouts de México, A.C., located in the Central Highlands of Mexico, northeast of the municipality of Tepoztlán, in the state of

Morelos Morelos (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Morelos ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Morelos), is one of the 32 states which comprise the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 36 municipalities and its capital city is Cuer ...

. It is located south of Mexico City and northeast of Cuernavaca.

Scout camps of the United Kingdom

Brownsea Island Scout camp

Brownsea Island was the site of the first boys' camping event organized by Lieutenant-General Baden-Powell to test his ideas for the book ''

Scouting for Boys ''Scouting for Boys: A handbook for instruction in good citizenship'' is a book on Boy Scout training, published in various editions since 1908. Early editions were written and illustrated by Robert Baden-Powell with later editions being extensi ...

''.

Gilwell Park

Gilwell Park is one of twelve national centres run directly by or in partnership with the Scout Association. It is the original home of Wood Badge training.

Notes

References

{{reflist Scout campsites